.35 Whelen

whitecoyote

whitecoyote

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I recently acquired a Remington 700 Mountain rifle in .35 Whelen. You don't hear much about this caliber, but something tells me I have a diamond here. This rifle will mainly be used for deer, bear, & hog hunting.
I'm interested in your opinions, thoughts, and stories regarding the .35 Whelen.
Thanks,
WC
 
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The Whelen is a great large game cartridge.Kicks big on both ends.My dad has a Remington 7600 in 35 and has killed a couple elk with it.He says it really puts the smackdown on them with 250 gr bullets and doesnt tear up alot of meat.If you reload,reloader 15 is about the best powder to use.IMR 4064 works well too.
 
One of my hunting buddies has a Thompson Center Contender in .35 Whalen and he loves to shoot hogs with it. He has also killed deer and wild turkeys with that powerful round. Sounds like you have a great hunting rifle for heavy timber... good luck hunting with it!
 
Great all around North American game cartridge. Always wanted one.
 
I never owned one but a good friend of mine used one for several years with good success. He killed quite a few elk, large mule deer and one very big black bear with it. He swore by it. I shot it a few times and didn't find it particularly punishing. I always thought of it as kind of a poor-man's 375 H&H.
 
Good cartridge for western US. My brother used his in Africa for plains game. A bit light for grizzly defense but OK for hunting grizz.

When I was guiding, I only saw one hog shot but it dropped it very well. A little lighter than 338 mag (what I use for elk). I have a 348 Win and a 350 Rem, which are both pretty close. They are used for camp rifles.
 
Have a T/C Encore rifle in .35 Whelen. Excellent performer on deer, that's all I've taken with it (and one coyote). Got it due to moving in the near future to black bear country and figured something a bit beefier wouldn't hurt.
I think of it as a ''.30-06 +P"

Good luck!
 
I only know the round by internet research and reputation but the OPs gun must be a rare specimen! Nice find! And in a Mountain Rifle config ! Probably very rare and great elk medicine.
 
You are right.....

I don't hear much about these oldies and I'm glad when somebody brings them into discussion. Who knows? I may end up with one myself.

It's nice when a big cartridge doesn't have to be 'belted' to be worthwhile.
 
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I have owned an old 1909 Argentine Mauser, re-chambered and re-bored to 35 Whelen for years. It is an excellent big game round. Great for deer using a 180 - 200 grain bullet. Good for just about any big game with Nosler PT's. Recoil can be a little heavy with heavy bullets and hot loads, but not as sharp as say, a .338 mag.

Nice thing about .35 rifles is their ability to handle cast lead bullets for practice, as well as hunting. You can also use .357 handgun bullets for high velocity varmint loads, with explosive results. The 35 Whelen, and its little brother, the .358 Winchester are my two favorite big game calibers. Pictured is my Mauser in 35 Whelen, and my Browning BLR in .358 Win.

Larry
 

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A fantastic caliber, as are every other one stuffed into a 30-06 case. The mtn rifle being fairly light, I would definitely go for an aftermarket recoil pad like kickeez, or a similar brand for app 40-50$ and not a hard DIY job. Watch a U-tube video on how to first & be sure to tape the stock well. Depending on your size & lop (length of pull) the stock may need to be cut down, if so, it might be well worth the 40-50$ more to have a smith do it for you. Your shoulder will thank you & it will be $ well spent. It should be a fantastic hunting rig for just about any game in any place in the US & not bad to lug around. A bit heavy for antelope/most whitetails/smaller hogs probably, but great for larger ones, bear, elk, moose, caribou, congrats & enjoy.
 
It is a great caliber for the Rocky Mountains. The 200 gr bullet shoots well in mine.
 
The .35 Whelen is very capable. I use its short-magnum brother, the .350 Remington Magnum. The .350 is almost a ballistic twin, giving only about 50fps more at a given bullet weight. The 250 grain Nosler Partitions make very short work of elk. For deer? Use 200 grain bullets.
 
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Fishinfool said:
Nice thing about .35 rifles is their ability to handle cast lead bullets for practice, as well as hunting. You can also use .357 handgun bullets for high velocity varmint loads, with explosive results. The 35 Whelen, and its little brother, the .358 Winchester are my two favorite big game calibers. Pictured is my Mauser in 35 Whelen, and my Browning BLR in .358 Win.

Larry
Click to expand...

We picked up a super nice used Browning BLR in .358 Win at an auction in north central Missouri back in 1986.......... We were the only bidder on it too...........

It remains in our safe & has a solid offer from a lodge bro for it......... It went to Kodiak Island as a back up rifle/ wounded bear follow up rifle with a couple of the guys one year........ Without a scope, that nice lil lever gun is very fast handling & has way faster repeat shots than any bolt action rifle could ever be.............and if following/tracking a big bear through the alders..... both of those qualities are a must............It remains to be the minimum caliber for the big bears & big moose.

Browning now makes a BLR in .35 Whelan, and can be had as a takedown rifle with a pistol grip too............and Leupold makes a couple of the little variable 1.5 scopes, that have very generous eye relief ranges, some with the new lighted recticles to go on one.

If I were younger & in a lot better health........... that rifle would be on my must own list.............

My lady is here with my breakfast, life is good...............
 
I have two .35Whelens. One is a left hand Sako AV that was rebarreled. The other is a stock 7600. While Ihave carried both afield over the years, the only thing I have taken is a coupleofhead shot grouse with the Sako...someday, something bigger!
20121028_165510.jpg
 
I have a Griffin & Howe, custom pre-64 Model 70 in .35 Whelen I am about to list For Sale…
A very fine and accurate custom rifle.
 
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